


Pokemon Ranger | Shadows of Almia

by Angelfishi



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon Ranger, Pokemon Ranger | Shadows of Almia
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Comedy, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Gen, Romance, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-05
Updated: 2013-09-05
Packaged: 2017-12-25 18:21:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/956242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelfishi/pseuds/Angelfishi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Meet Kate. A young girl hailing from the land of Hoenn, she travels to Almia in the hopes of becoming a Pokemon Ranger. A shy, meek girl, her reason for becoming a Ranger is because she desires to do something with her life, and find her purpose in living.</p>
<p>Meet Keith. A hotheaded, brash boy who is prone to picking a fight, he comes from Unova with the same goal as Kate. His reasons, though, are much more straightforward: he wishes to protect the innocent and weak from the strong and unjust.</p>
<p>Meet Rhythmi. A vain, beautiful young lady from Sinnoh with an uncanny talent for manipulation. With dreams of becoming an Operator, Rhythmi desires to help people--with her voice, from the sidelines, so she doesn't get her nails dirty.</p>
<p>These three meet, clash, and befriend one another. Each with their own hopes, dreams and sorrows, they move forward into the lives of teenagers serving in the Ranger Union: protecting citizens and Pokemon from evil, upholding the law... but also dealing with the other typical events of adolescence: making friends, keeping secrets, falling in love. But unbeknownst to them, a dark force in the name of Dim Sun is brewing in Almia--and they're about to get caught up in it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The First Day

Ranger Academy.

An elite school for the best of the best, only accessible through endless applications, studying, exams… and she was  _here._

A young girl took a deep breath as she smoothed down the front of her green jacket, then tightened her yellow tie. Her light brown hair was pulled up in two messy, spiked twintails, pale ivory skin flushed red in the cheeks and pale blue eyes flicking around nervously.

"You alright, Miss Lovett?"

The girl jumped. "No!" She yelped. "I mean, yes! I mean…" she gave a sigh of defeat.

"…No," she mumbled. How could she lie to herself? She was arriving at this school over halfway into the year. She didn't know anyone, she was all alone in a foreign country… "I'm terrified," she admitted.

The tall woman beside her gave a small smile. She had auburn hair hanging loosely around her shoulders, a spring green shirt and a white skirt—she gave off an aura of authority, yet gentleness as well.

"Don't worry, Kate," she soothed. "Your class is very accepting, I'm sure you'll fit right in. It's not like they're all from Almia, we have students from anywhere you can imagine—Hoenn, Unova, even all the way up in Sinnoh."

Kate gave a shaky nod. "…O-OK," she gulped. "T-thank you, Ms. April…"

Ms. April smiled and nodded in response. "Attagirl," she said. "Wait here, and I'll introduce you to the class, ok? Just wait for my signal."

Kate nodded, this time far more vigorously.

Ms. April went in the door that led to Kate's future classroom, closing the door quickly behind her so heads couldn't turn in time to see the young girl. The walls were thin, and Kate could hear everything that was being said inside.

"Alright, class, settle down!" Ms. April called. "We have a new student joining our class today."

Immediately, Kate heard several other voices from inside chatter in whispered gossip.

"Who could it be? A girl, or boy?"

"Oh, I hope it's a girl, then there'd be an equal number!"

"Dummy, it's gotta be a boy! A  _girl_ couldn't make it into this school so late in the year…"

"Oh, just shut up, Keith! Honestly, you're such a bigot…"

"A big  _what?_ "

"Everyone, quiet!" Ms. April's voice rose over the rest. "Here they are."

Kate reached for the doorknob hesitantly, but then grasped it and turned the knob, opening the door.

Almost immediately, she saw several heads turn to look at her. It was a small class, but varied—there were all sorts of teenagers in there, of various hair, complexion and color. They all looked at her, their eyes shining in curiosity. All but one, that was, as Kate noticed a scruffy head of red-brown hair in the front row facing the board steadily, as if the owner had no interest in looking at her.  _'Good,'_ she thought,  _'less to worry about.'_

Kate started walking down the aisle, trying to make herself look as small as possible. As she moved, she noticed a very beautiful girl looking at her—she had fluffy platinum blonde hair that framed her face, and deep blue eyes that looked like you could swim in them. She even wore a faint sheen makeup, eyeshadow and lip gloss—sixteen years old and Kate had never even thought of it.

Reaching the front of the room, she turned to face the class. Staring at the group, she gulped slightly. The class stared with rapt attention—she felt her knees weaken slightly. In addition, from what she noticed, the person in the front still seemed to be paying her no mind. Deciding to count it as a blessing, since she wasn't sure if she could handle any more gazes she glanced at Ms. April. The teacher gave her an encouraging nod, and Kate finally cleared her throat.

"M-my name is Kate Lovett," she said. "I'm sixteen, a-and I'm from Pacifidlog Town in Hoenn. I-I'm here to study to be a Pokémon Ranger."

And that's when she felt it.

The minute the word  _'Ranger'_ left her mouth, she felt eyes. Eyes that were staring, penetrating her,  _scanning_ her. She didn't dare to meet them directly, but she knew they were coming from the redheaded person in the front who had previously ignored her. Gulping, she continued at a faster pace.

"I-I know I've just transferred here, and it's l-late in the year, b-but please take care of me! I-I hope we can be friends!" She finished, bowing with a slight jerk.

The class clapped, and Kate noticed that the lovely blonde was beaming at her. She gave a tentative smile back, not daring to look at the redhead.

Ms. April was smiling. "Good, good," she said happily. "Now then, your seat… Keith? What's with that grin on your face?"

Kate blinked, turning her head to where Ms. April was looking—which, she realized with a shock, was the redhead.

It was a boy, with wild, reddish brown spiky hair, amber eyes, and slightly rosy skin. He was looking at her steadily, as if sizing her up—but despite this seemingly serious action, it was ruined by the fact that he had a  _huge_  grin on his face, spreading ear to ear.

The boy—Keith, apparently—didn't answer, so Ms. April just sighed and moved on.

"Alright, alright," she said. "In any case, Kate here scored  _very_ well on her entrance exam. She's a late arrival, but treat her kindly. Now then, your seat…"

Kate's ears were flushed red from the comment about her exam scores. She was brought out of her embarrassment, however, when Ms. April said, "Ah, there. The seat right next to Keith is open."

Kate's eyes widened. Sitting directly next to someone? Couldn't she just sit in the back? She worked best alone!

But not wanting to disrespect a teacher, she nodded slowly. "O-OK," she said, slowly walking over to the two-person sized desk and setting her bookbag down by her chair. She sat down next to Keith, who was grinning even wider now.

"Alright," Ms. April said, "there's no real lesson scheduled for today, so this will be a study hall hour. Use it to prepare for your Mechanics of the Styler quiz and your oral exam on interviewing citizens… and if anyone is feeling confident about their skills, please take the time out to show Kate around the school."

With that, Ms. April left the room. Immediately, Kate found herself surrounded by her classmates. She quickly felt her throat tighten and her hands nearly lose feeling.

"Hey, you're from Hoenn, right? What's it like there?"

"How did you get in halfway through the year? It's hard enough in the summer!"

"Come hang out with us after school, we're going to get ice cream!"

"So do you have family back in Hoenn or did th—"

"Kate."

Kate looked up quickly at the single call of her name—and saw the lovely blonde from earlier smiling sweetly down at her, hand outstretched.

"I'm feeling alright about my tests, so I thought I'd show you around the school. Is that ok?" she asked.

Kate nodded with an awkward jerk of the head, standing quickly and failing to remember to take the girl's hand. She didn't seem to mind, though, as she just pulled her hand back with a pleasant smile.

Just as the two turned to start out the door, a voice came from behind them.

"Hold it, new girl."

Kate stiffened, turning just a fraction. Her desk neighbor, Keith, was standing now, smirking. He wasn't all that tall—they were about the same height, Keith perhaps having about one centimeter on her.

"Y… y-yes?" Kate managed to say through her utter terror. Maybe it was the hair, but this didn't look like someone she would mix well with.

"How'd you score on the Capture portion of your exam?" He asked.

Kate blinked. "…I… I'm sorry?" she mumbled.

"Come on! Capture portion? Styler, Pikachu, slightly delusional examiner?" Keith demanded. "How long did it take you to capture that Pokémon?"

"Oh!" Kate jumped a bit, stammering. "I-I—u-um—i-it took me… t-ten minutes?"

A beat.

"…Ten… minutes?" Keith said, staring.

"…G… g-give or take," Kate replied, trying not to meet his eyes. "W-why do you—"

"Are you  _serious?_ " A boy exclaimed, gaping. "The average time is thirty minutes! Plus, Keith's top Capturer of the class, and he took  _fifteen_ minutes to capture it!"

Keith gave the boy a venomous glare. "Watch it, Ryan," he hissed. Then he looked back at Kate, sizing her up yet again. Kate felt herself shrink under his gaze.

"…Hmph," he finally scoffed. "You're nothing special. Ten minutes? You're either lying, or you got dumb luck."

"Shut your trap, Keith!" the blonde burst out, glaring. "You're just mad because she did better than you!"

Keith glared back. "Shut your trap, Blythe, or I'll do it for you!" he snapped.

The girl scoffed, grabbing Kate's hand. "Come on, Kate," she said, "I need to give you the tour.

Kate gulped, unable to speak from that interaction. "O-ok." She replied shakily.

Once out of the classroom and in the hall, the blonde sighed.

"Sorry about that," she said. "If there's one thing Keith hates, it's when people show him up. He's a capturing prodigy, but his ego is  _way_ over-inflated."

"Ah—i-it's fine! I-I don't mind…" Kate stammered.

"You  _should!_ " the blonde huffed. Then she blinked.

"Oh," she said, "I'm sorry. I never even told you my name, did I?"

Kate blinked, realizing the same. Keith had called her Blythe, but…

"I'm Rhythmi Blythe," the girl smiled. "I'm here to become an Operator. I'm from Floaroma Town in Sinnoh. I hope we can be friends."

Kate's eyes widened as she stiffened a bit. "Ah—" she gulped, nodding. "Y-yes! I-I'm Kate Lovett from Pacifidlog Town in H-Hoenn! P-please treat me kindl—"

Rhythmi squeezed Kate's hand, smiling gently.

"…I know," she said calmly. "And I will."

Kate blinked, her hand starting to tense up, but then she slowly let herself relax. She felt a sense of relief spread. Thank Arceus—she'd managed to make a friend, and on the first day, no less!

"Shall we?" Rhythmi smiled.

Kate smiled back. "…Sure!"

* * *

 

An hour or so later, the girls were relaxing in the library. Rhythmi had shown Kate around the school—from the dormitories where she would be rooming with all the other girls, to the teacher's lounge, where she'd met the principal whose name honestly escaped her despite it only having been ten minutes since she met him. The two girls were now browsing the library, Rhythmi helping Kate find the books she'd need for upcoming tests.

"…And… there," Rhythmi said, handing Kate one last textbook. "I think that's got you set and ready to go."

"T-thank you, Rhythmi!" Kate stammered.

Rhythmi smiled. "No problem."

Kate smiled back, but then seemed to hesitate for a moment. Rhythmi blinked.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"Huh—" Kate jumped a bit. "N-no, nothing. It's just… t-that boy I have to sit next to in class…"

"Ah," Rhythmi's eye twitched a bit as she looked over some other books. "That's Keith. Keith Evans, to be precise. He's cocky, jerky, has the ego of an overgroomed Piplup… and he's training to be a Ranger."

Kate blinked. "…The same as me," she murmured.

"Yep." Rhythmi shrugged. "That's why he didn't pay you any mind until he heard what you're studying to become. He's always on the lookout for people to show up… which is why he got annoyed when he heard you shaved five minutes off his record."

"W-what?" Kate gulped. "H-he didn't seem annoyed. H-he told me it was just dumb luck…"

Rhythmi looked at Kate dead in the eye. "…You don't get out much, do you?" she asked.

Kate flushed fiery red as she looked down.

Rhythmi laughed, but then looked far more serious. "Anyway," she said, "you should steer clear of that guy. He's a big, competitive idiot."

Kate gulped a bit, then decided to change the subject. "Should I go meet the teachers in the Capture Building once more?"

The two left the school and walked to the warehouse in front, where the rather overdramatic Mr. Kaplan and the (thankfully)  _far_ more sane Ms. Claire greeted them, gave them a quick run through of their subjects and what they entailed. It was a brief meeting, and as they exited, Rhythmi sighed heavily as she ran a hand through her thick blonde locks.

"Jeez, that Mr. Kaplan," she muttered. "I'm not sure if he's serious about this whole 'Team School' thing, or if he's just trying to pull our leg."

Kate smiled sheepishly. "He is funny, though," she said tentatively.

Rhythmi smiled back. "Yeah," she admitted, "I guess he—"

"AHHH!"

"Wh—" Rhythmi and Kate looked around for the source of the scream—and they found it, in a slightly stocky woman with short brown hair, wearing a housedress. More alarmingly, though, they saw that she was watching in fear as what Kate counted as nine Bidoof ran rampant through the courtyard.

"Is that Janice?!" Rhythmi said as the girls ran to the woman. "Janice! What happened?"

Janice, who Kate remembered being introduced as the housekeeper of the dorms, looked at the girls, alarm all over her face.

"I-I was feeding the Bidoof," she said, "but when I left to get more food, I returned to find them out of their pen and running all over! I-I could have sworn I closed the gate, b-but-!"

"Don't worry," a voice suddenly rang out from behind them all, " _I'll_ handle this."

Kate looked up to see none other than Keith Evans striding over like it was just another day of school.

"Oh,  _Arceus,_ " Rhythmi hissed. Keith raised an eyebrow.

"What, you got a problem, Blythe?!" he demanded. "In case you don't pay attention in class, you should know that these Bidoof need to be  _captured_ to get them back in the pen. Which is a  _Ranger's_ job, correct?"

"You're not a Ranger yet, smart aleck," Rhythmi muttered.

"I'm the closest thing to one!" Keith snapped, whipping out his School Styler. "And do you see any  _other_ Ranger trainees here?"

Kate was trying her hardest to make like a Kecleon and blend in—honestly, she had no interest in pointing out to Keith that yes, there was another Ranger Trainee there. But of course Rhythmi did.

"That's right!" she said triumphantly, pointing at Kate. "And she's right  _here!_ "

Keith looked at Kate, snorting. "What," he said, "Ms. Dumb Luck here? I bet she wouldn't even be able to capture one!"

"Oh, you wanna  _bet_ on that?" Rhythmi replied.

Kate jumped, sensing danger. "U-um—" she started in.

"Making a challenge, Blythe?" Keith demanded.

"You know it, Evans."

"Fine! Cathy Covett and I both go for the Bidoof!"

"R-Rhythmi, p-please don't—"

"At least make an effort to remember your classmates' names, Keith. You're on. And the one who captures the most, wins!"

"What do I get when I win?"

"I-I would  _really_ prefer t-to not—"

"Loser takes chores. For a  _week._ "

"Oh ho, I'm gonna love seeing you and Dovett here cleaning the common room, Blythe."

"…U-um…" Kate gulped, realizing she had no control over this situation.

Rhythmi looked at Kate with narrowed eyes. "You are  _going_  to win this."

It wasn't a question.

"Come on, Pate Zovett!" Keith called as he rushed into the fray of Bidoof. Kate sighed as she followed.

' _Kate Lovett isn't even that hard to remember,'_ she thought mournfully as she took out her School Styler and switched it on.

"CAPTURE ON!"

Both Stylers activated, spinning tops shot out of the machines, bright lines trailing behind them. This was what she was good at, what she loved best—allowing herself to forget what was happening around her, whoever might be watching. It was just her and the Pokémon as she drew the loops with her Styler to convey her feelings of friendship.

Around and around, Kate worked methodically, one Bidoof after the other—she didn't want to risk anything by capturing two Bidoof at once, she hadn't studied that yet. Eventually, with four Bidoof trailing neatly behind her, she saw one last stray on the side.

"Captu—"

"ON!"

Kate jumped, suddenly broken out of her trance as she saw Keith already capturing the Bidoof. She knew that was it, then—it was dangerous and unethical for two Rangers to be capturing the same Pokémon.

Instead, she hit the "complete" button on the side grip of her Styler, the Capture Top once again shooting back inside the machine.

"Capture complete," she murmured. Turning, she bent down at the Bidoof, who were all looking at her with glittering black eyes.

Smiling, she gently stroked their fur as she heard Keith shout "CAPTURE COMPLETE" in the background.

* * *

"…Four, five!"

"…Four."

The Capture over, Kate and Keith were counting their haul. As expected, Keith had caught the higher amount. Rhythmi groaned loudly as she fell to her knees dramatically.

" _No,"_ she moaned.

Keith grinned widely. "You made the bet, Blythe!" he said gleefully. "I win, which means  _you and Hovett_ clean the common room in my place for a  _week._ "

Kate was ignoring them, helping Janice round up the Bidoof to take back to the pen. Janice beamed at Kate.

"Thank you both so much," she said. "I don't know what I would have done without you."

"Ah—" Kate blushed, holding up her hands in defense. "N-no, it's nothing. Mr. Evans started the whole thing, really."

Janice blinked, then laughed. " _Mr. Evans?_ " she said in amusement. "That's something you don't hear a sixteen year old girl say!"

Kate flushed furiously, looking down.

"…I know he's not the most modest boy around," Janice admitted," but he's a good one, even if he can't show it. I should know—I care for the students at this school like my children. Including you."

Kate blinked, but then looked up. She smiled slowly.

"T-thank you, Ms. Janice!" she said.

Janice laughed. "Please," she replied, "just Janice is fine.

Janice left, the nine Bidoof trailing after her in a line. Kate steeled herself, then walked to Keith and Rhythmi, who were still bickering.

"You totally moved in on Kate's last capture!" Rhythmi insisted. "She had that wrapped up and ready to go, but you just jumped it and took it!"

"Finders' keepers!" Keith huffed in reply. "First come, first served! Or did you not pass kindergarten, Blythe?"

"U-um," Kate interjected shyly.

"WHAT?" the two students turned and glared at her. Kate shrunk back for a moment, but spoke in a small voice.

"I-I'm sorry I lost, Rhyth," she said, "but Keith's right. He won fair and square. I'm the one that competed; s-so I'll clean the common room by myself. You don't have to help."

Rhythmi's eyes softened. "Kate…" she murmured.

"No way," Keith stated firmly. "You may have competed, but Blythe made the bet. You didn't even seem willing to do this in the first place. So Blythe at least has to help you."

Kate's eyes widened as she looked at Keith. "…Mr. Evans…" she said.

Keith's jaw dropped. " _Mr. Wha—?"_

He was cut off, however, by Rhythmi. "Well, Keith," she said, a smirk on her face. "You're certainly nice all of a sudden, saying I have to help Kate. Any reason for that?"

"Huh—" Keith's eyes widened as he gaped. "N-NO! W-what the hell are you implying?! I just don't wanna see Blythe getting off scot free!"

"Well, that's too bad, Keith. I'm afraid you'll have to."

"Wh—" everyone turned to see Janice standing by them once again—only this time, she looked much less warm and cuddly. Her arms were crossed, and she was tapping her foot dangerously as she glared at Keith with eyes of venom that only a mother could give.

Keith jumped, gulping. It was as if he… knew what was coming? "Y-yes, Janice?" he said cautiously.

"A student told me something interesting when I was putting the Bidoof away," she said. "He said that while I was gone, the gate was indeed  _locked…_ until a certain familiar student came and opened it for them."

Rhythmi's jaw dropped. Keith seemed to shrink, looking guiltier than a toddler with his hand caught in the cookie jar.

"YOU LET THE BIDOOF OUT?!" Rhythmi shrieked. Kate jumped at the noise.

"H-hey, I wanted to see Lovett's real potential!" Keith said in a panic. "And I couldn't just wait for those easy training classes! That's not the same as a real-life situation!"

"Well, I hope you're satisfied," Janice cut in, glaring, "because  _you'll_ be the one cleaning the common room. And not for one, but  _two weeks._  And you're denied dinner tonight!"

"…Yes, Janice," Keith sighed.

Janice stormed off, apron fluttering with every stomp. Rhythmi took Kate's hand.

"Come on, Kate," she said, voice ringing with glee, "let's hurry, or we'll miss  _dinner…_ I'd invite you, Keith, but it looks like you can't join us."

Keith grumbled, his hands in his pockets. "Whatever, Blythe," he muttered.

Kate let herself be dragged away by Rhythmi, walking after her towards the school. She still looked back at Keith, though.

Keith looked up at Kate, their eyes meeting for a second. It was only that, though, a second—as Keith quickly turned away and walked off in the opposite direction.

* * *

 

"God _dammit._ "

Keith cursed as he picked up strewn snack bags from under the tables of the common room. Didn't people know to pick up their own damn trash? Grimacing at the mold already sprouting on the garbage, he chucked it into the bin before it could grow legs and run off.

He'd been there  _two hours._ Everyone since had long gone to bed, and it was late at night. But of course, Keith was stuck in the common room, cleaning. If this place wasn't "spick and span" by tomorrow ("spick and span" being the highest standard for Janice), then he'd have detention for another two weeks, and he did  _not_ need that on his record. Or his free time.

As he bent down to lift the sofa cushions so as to purge them of crumbs and uneaten candy, Keith felt a long rumble from his stomach. Groaning, he dropped the sofa cushion, instead flopping back on it.

"Dammit," he muttered to himself, "if Janice wants this place clean so bad, shouldn't she have fed her slave?" he hadn't eaten since that morning's breakfast—he'd skipped lunch to pull a covert operation involving Mr. Kincaid's chair and a thumbtack.

"U-um…" there was the sound of shuffling feet from the stairwell. "M-Mr. Evans?"

Keith's body gave a jolt as he looked with wide eyes at who was visiting him—but he relaxed once he saw who it was. "Yeah?" he grumbled. "What do you want? Come to gloat?"

Kate gulped. Her hands were behind her back, as if she was holding something.

"N-no!" she squeaked. "N-nothing like that! I-I, um… I-I just, that is…"

Keith glared at her. "Spit it out," he demanded.

Kate stiffened, but then slowly pulled out a tray from behind her back. On it was a juice box, some Berries, and even a sandwich and chips. Keith felt his jaw drop.

"…W-wha…" he started, but Kate, for once, beat him to it.

"Y-you've been here for so long," she stammered, "a-and I thought it just wasn't fair! I-I mean, I lost, after all. P-plus, you didn't eat, a-and…"

Keith stared for a few beats, but then quickly coughed, looking away. He sat down on a chair by the table.

"You do realize that snagging food from the kitchens is  _against the rules,_ right?" he said. "I could report you. You could get in serious trouble."

"But you won't do that, right?" Kate mumbled.

Keith drummed the table with his fingers. "And why not?" he mused. "It'd be good revenge."

"B-because you're starving. And R-Rhythmi told me all about how you thumbtacked Mr. Kincaid's desk. So if you take me down, I-I'm taking you with me."

…Well, shit. She had a point there.

Keith gave a sigh of defeat, pointing at the chair across from him. "Sit," he commanded. Kate followed obediently, setting the tray down in front of him.

The next few minutes were silent, save for Keith's scarfing at his food. Kate watched in silence, hands folded neatly in front of her.

As Keith started in on his Berries, Kate broke the silence. "…But you wouldn't have told on me anyway, right?" she murmured. "E-even if I didn't have dirt on you, and even if you didn't eat the food."

Keith raised an eyebrow, popping a Cheri Berry into his mouth. "And your reasoning for that  _is…?_ "

"Y-you're not a mean person, Mr. Evans."

A pause, which Keith filled by his choking.

" _Wha—_ " he coughed, managing to swallow. He pointed at Kate, glaring venomously. "What the  _hell_ makes you say that?!"

Kate winced at the swearing, but then stammered. "Y-you didn't let me clean the common room alone when I lost, y-you told Rhythmi she had to help," she said, "a-and Janice said you're a good boy! P-plus, I-I mean…"

Keith drummed his fingers impatiently. "…W-what?" he said.

"…Y-you knew my name all along, right?"

Keith's eyes widened. "…Wha…" he barely managed to say. Kate cut in before he could speak.

"Y-you said my name after Janice yelled about you letting the Bidoof out!" Kate continued. "I-I mean, i-it was my surname! S-so, u-um, maybe I'm wrong… m-maybe it's a fluke, and you don't really know me, but…

"…I-I just don't think you're a bad person, Mr. Evans."

Complete and utter silence filled the room. There was no sound, save for a single Hoothoot crying out in the distance.

Kate began to panic. Did she take this too far? Oh, no, she must have said too much! Now everything was awkward, he must now be thinking she was some kind of freak for talking about him like this. She should have just left as soon as giving him the food, she shouldn't ha—

"Kate Lovett."

Kate looked up, blinking. "W-what?" she stuttered.

Keith was eating his Berries again, not meeting her eyes. His ears were flushed dark red. "…K-Kate Lovett," he repeated. "That's your name, right?"

"…Y…" Kate jumped, nodding vigorously. "Y-yes! I-it is! T… thank you, Mr. Eva—!"

She was cut off by a groan from Keith. "Arceus, you're weird," he said, "calling me "Mr." when I'm the same friggin' age as you. What kind of church school did you come from?"

He thrust out his hand, holding it out with an open palm. Kate looked up in surprise, blinking her pale blue eyes to see amber ones staring firmly back at her.

"The name's Keith Evans," he stated. "And since I got even with you with those Bidoof for breaking my Capture record… I guess we could be friends.  _If_ you want to, that is. I'm way cooler than Blythe, though."

Kate gaped back. "I-I…"

"…Well?" Keith's eyes narrowed as the red in his ears began to spread to his cheeks. "I don't have all day. Hurry up and make your decision before my hand gets numb."

Kate stared. Then her cheeks flushed pink from ecstasy as she smiled brightly. "Y… yes!" she nodded. "I-it's nice to meet you, Mr. Eva—" a glare. "…K- _Keith._ "

She shook his hand, thinking that perhaps her new life at Ranger Academy wouldn't be so terrifying after all.  


	2. The Test of Initiation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a week since Kate transferred in, and she's starting to get used to life at Ranger Academy. Nothing can come without a price for our heroine, though--and it just so happens that there's a certain tradition among the students that she'll have to fulfill before she can really be considered an official student.

It had been exactly one week since Kate had transferred into Ranger Academy, and she had taken the adjustment well. She could now find her classes without having to cling to Rhythmi or Keith, she had caught up with the rest of her class in terms of learning the subjects, and she was used to her schedule of chores.

Classes had just ended, and Kate leaned down to pick up her bookbag as the bell rang. Keith, her former enemy (at least on his side) turned friend, stretched out his arms.

"Yo, Lovett," he said, looking over, "you gonna be studying tonight?"

Kate jumped a bit, looking up. "Ah!" she said. "No, I wasn't planning on it. There's no real test or quiz coming up, so I'll be ok."

Keith nodded. "Right," he muttered, "so we'll do it tonight…"

Kate blinked. "Do what?"

Keith waved her off. "Nothing, nothing." Then he smiled. "Wanna go Capture practice a bit? I hear they set up some new obstacles at the training course."

Kate brightened. "Su—" she started—but she was cut off by a sudden arm around her shoulder.

"Not so fast, hotshot," Rhythmi smirked. "Kate and I are going to get something sweet to eat at the cafeteria. You promised you'd eat that new dessert with me, remember?"

The brunette gasped, covering her mouth. "Oh, you're right!" she said. "I-I completely forgot…"

She looked at Keith nervously. "I-I'm sorry, Keith," she apologized as she stood, "maybe we can do the evening obstacle course tonight?"

Keith's eye twitched.

"No," he said, standing with them. "I'll go with you guys. I was feeling hungry too."

Rhythmi's eyes narrowed. "Oh, are you now?" she asked.

"Yeah, you got a problem,  _Blythe?_ "

" _Fight me,_ Evans."

"Y-you guys!" Kate squeaked, getting in between them.

Rhythmi blinked, and then let out a sigh. She smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, Kate," she said. "It's not you. I'm just not used to having to mix with  _Mr. Hair Gel_ over here."

Keith's whole face burned crimson red. "M-my hair is all natural!" he snapped. "Unlike  _someone._ "

"Well, excuse me for actually brushing my hair."

"Oh, that's it. You, me, hallw—"

"You  _guys,_ " Kate sighed yet again, pushing Keith back a few inches so she wasn't squished between their bickering.

Keith groaned. "…Sorry," he muttered. "Looks like this'll take some getting used to."

Kate just smiled nervously in response.

"How about," she suggested, "we go to the obstacle course, work up an appetite,  _and then_ get food? The cafeteria's probably packed now, and I'm not that hungry yet."

Rhythmi nodded, smiling. "Yeah, that sounds great!" Then to Keith, with a less-than-pleasant tone, "You alright with that, Evans?"

Keith glared. "Of course I am, Blythe," he replied.

The two walked on ahead, already starting to bicker again. Kate sighed as she followed. It had been a whole week since she'd transferred, and she could safely say these two were her two best friends on campus.

Rhythmi was a sweet, beautiful, friendly girl who had helped Kate with everything from studying to finding her classes to even helping do her hair in the morning. Rhythmi was training to be an Operator, and her strengths lay in communication and technique. She was like an older sister in some respects, despite the fact that they were the same age, always looking out for Kate and helping her out. She could be superficial, though—it usually took her at least thirty minutes in front the mirror with her brush and makeup-case to deem herself class-ready, and she had repeatedly begged Kate to let her give the girl a makeover, something Kate had been avoiding desperately. Despite this, Rhythmi was responsible and kind, if not somewhat snooty.

Keith, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. Fiery, energetic, disrespectful and cocky, Keith was like a time bomb waiting to blow—which he did on a regular basis. He was the regular mischief maker and slacker, his usual hangouts being in the library (sleeping) or in the staff room (pulling pranks). He was at the Academy to become a Ranger, and while his test scores were lacking, he more than made up for it with his speed, power, and Capturing skill. While rather rough around the edges when it came to dealing with people, he had seemed to warm up to Kate. The two had spent several afternoons training together in the school obstacle courses, and when he wasn't helping Kate train, he grudgingly allowed her to help him study. All in all, Keith was an arrogant and cheeky boy, but a rather nice one, even if he wasn't the best person with people. If anything, it helped them bond more—Kate was rather socially inept as well.

Kate sighed. Complete opposites, and she'd managed to make friends with both of them.

"Lovett!" Keith yelled. He and Rhythmi were already at the doors to the courtyard. "You coming, or what?!"

"Don't rush her!" Rhythmi hissed.

Keith snapped something back at her, and Kate sighed yet again as she ran after them.

' _If there's anything those two have in common,'_ she thought,  _'it's their stubbornness…'_

Her thoughts were cut short, though, by a loud yell from behind her.

"MISS KATE LOVETT!"

Kate jumped about a foot in the air. Keith groaned loudly, while Rhythmi winced.

The brunette slowly turned around to see a man charging towards her, and then she knew she was in trouble. The man had stern blue eyes, but the haircut didn't match—he had a ridiculous blonde curled pompadour sticking out from his head, that seemed to carry the scent of strawberries.

"H…" she gulped as he reached her. "Hello, Mr. Kincaid."

The man, Mr. Kincaid—the second homeroom teacher of Ranger Academy—glared with crossed arms. "Are you aware that running in the halls is  _forbidden_ at this academy?" he inquired.

"Y-yes, Mr. Kincaid," Kate replied meekly. "B-but I was just—"

"Quiet. I don't want to hear it." He cut her off before she could finish. "This is your first offense—so I'll let you off with a  _warning._ However, I don't want to see you breaking the rules again. Don't be like  _Evans_ over there."

He gave a pointed glare to Keith, who just stuck out his tongue before hiding behind Rhythmi.

"Y-yes, sir. Thank you, sir." Kate bowed slightly before walking quickly to Keith and Rhythmi.

"Let's go let's go let's go," she mumbled to them both, her face drained of blood.

Rhythmi smiled. "Scared by the Curled Menace, I take it?"

Kate just gulped, nodding her head. Keith shrugged.

"Can't blame ya," he said, "Kincaid's a stiff pain in the ass. Maybe he just doesn't get enough sunlight—he spends all his time in the basement, after all."

Kate blinked. "The basement?" She said. It was a location that was forbidden to trespass on, punishable by a month of detention. "Why does he stay down there?

"Who knows?" Rhythmi replied. "Some say it's to conduct research, others say it's where he keeps his supply of hairspray. Either way, it's creepy—so stay clear of that guy. I feel bad for  _his_  students."

Kate nodded, giving one last look at the staircase to the basement before they stepped outside.

* * *

"TARGET CLEARED!"

Kate exhaled as she holstered her Styler, walking shakily to the bench. The Taillow she had been using flew off into the sky, back to the stage of the course it was trained to return to.

The brunette reached the bench, sitting down. Keith, who was already there, threw her a towel.

"Good work," he said, his breathing also slightly labored. He had taken off the tie and jacket portion of his uniform, leaving himself in the short sleeved, blue denim shirt, the matching pants, and high brown boots. "What was your time?"

Kate took the towel gratefully, wiping her face. She had done the same as Keith, leaving herself in the same uniform, only with shorts instead of loose pants. "T-twenty minutes, thirty-six seconds," she panted, "I managed to shave ten seconds off."

"Hah!" Keith grinned, splashing water on his face. "I got nineteen minutes and forty eight seconds. Better luck next time."

Kate smiled sheepishly, but then looked around. "But wow… This really is an amazing facility, though, isn't it?" She said.

The two were in the back courtyard of the school, in front of a huge obstacle course filled with Pokémon and various barriers. At the end of each path were simple red flags.

"Well, yeah," Keith shrugged. "There's a reason this is the Academy for Rangers, after all. The goal is to assess your situation, catch the Pokémon that will take down obstacles for you, and reach the flag—your target—as fast as possible. What's more, the course is never the same—they change it up and switch obstacles and Pokémon at least once a month."

He took a swig of his water, gulping it down. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he blinked upwards.

"You think I could get down to fifteen minutes by the end of the week?" He mused.

"Yeah," Rhythmi's voice suddenly came from behind them, "when hell freezes over."

"GAH!" Keith stood, jumping back. "Dammit, Blythe! Don't scare me like that!"

Rhythmi smiled innocently. "Sorry, sorry," she said, although her voice held a ring of amusement. She looked at Kate.

"Dessert now?" she asked. Kate smiled and nodded.

"Sure," she replied, "let me shower and we can go."

A half hour later, the trio was in the cafeteria, preparing to dig in. Kate was enjoying her ice cream happily—a welcome treat after a long, hard training session.

"Still," Rhythmi sighed mournfully, "it's not fair. How come I have to share Kate with an ill-mannered cretin like  _Keith?_ "

Keith's eye twitched. "…Excuse me," he said, "but I'm right here."

"He wasn't even  _nice_ to you in the first place. He called you a liar with dumb luck just because you beat him at something."

"Still right here."

Kate laughed nervously, feeling the tension in the air rise. "W-well," she said, "that's…"

"All I'm saying," Rhythmi said, taking a spoonful of ice cream, "is that it's weird. One minute you two were enemies, and suddenly, the next day, Kate pads over to Keith like nobody's business! And you two start talking normally! What happened?"

"I-I wouldn't say we were  _enemies,_ " Kate started, "we just… got off on the wrong foot, right?"

Keith shrugged. "Guess you can say that," he muttered. Then, with a glare at Rhythmi, "And our friendship is none of your business, Blythe."

Rhythmi held up both hands with open palms, dismissing the issue. "Fine, fine," she said, "forget I asked."

* * *

Hours later, it was evening, and all the students were preparing for bed. Kate was in the girls' dormitory with all the other female students, taking off her jacket and tie.

"Ah, Kate," Rhythmi said, suddenly taking her by the hand to stop her, "you don't have to change into your pajamas yet."

"Huh? Oh, sure!" Kate blinked. "…I-I mean… w-what? Why?"

Rhythmi smiled. "You'll see. Anyways, get in bed and act like you're asleep—then when Janice finishes checking on us, you can go ahead and get up again."

"But that's against the—" Kate faltered as Rhythmi walked away. "…r-rules…" She sighed. What was going on?

Nonetheless, Kate went along with the plan, climbing into her bed and getting under the covers by curfew with all the other girls. Eventually, Janice peeked in, scanning the room for any raised heads or voices. Seemingly satisfied with what she found, she left the room, footsteps soon fading into silence.

Almost immediately after the silence fell, a whistle sounded from one of the girls, followed quickly by the fluttering of covers being thrown off.

"Come on, Kate," Rhythmi called, "everyone's waiting!"

Kate jumped a bit, hurrying out of bed. "Ah—y-yes—" she said—although truly, she still had no idea what was happening. All the girls filed out the door of their room, Rhythmi being the second last to exit, Kate trailing behind her.

What happened next just about gave her a heart attack.

Poppers went off as she entered the common room, little flakes of multicolored confetti raining down. Every student in the school (a small number, perhaps only about thirty students in all) was gathered there, and they all looked at Kate. Immediately, she felt her body stiffen, her hands lose feeling, her throat tighten as she tried to find the words to ask what was happening. Thankfully, though, she didn't have to.

Keith walked over, grinning ear to ear. "Welcome to your initiation ceremony, Lovett!" he cheered.

"I—ini—initia—t-test—w- _what?_ " Kate stammered, face reddening. Rhythmi came up behind them, smiling.

"Initiation test," she repeated. "It's a tradition that's been held for years by students of the Academy. I went through it, Keith went through it—everyone has."

"I… I-I see," said Kate, her hands starting to gain the ability to move again. "S-so… n-now it's my turn?"

"Correct-a-mundo!"

A young man came out of the crowd—he seemed a few years older than the rest of the students. His head was almost completely bald, like a marshmallow, with only a tuft of teal hair on the top of the temple.

Kate blinked. "I-I'm sorry, you are…?" she said uncertainly. Keith gestured to the boy carelessly.

"That's Ponte, the conflicted marshmallow boy," he said. "He's the oldest out of all of us. Reason he's been here so long is that he hasn't chosen his career path. Simply put, he's indecisive."

Ponte winced. "That's cold, man," he whined in reply. Then he looked back at Kate.

"Anyway, the rules are simple," he said. "Five of us have hidden our Stylers in the school. Your job is to go find them all and bring them back here. Once you do, you've completed the test."

"…A-and if I complete the test?" Kate asked. "What happens?"

Ponte blinked. "…Well, nothing, really," he mused. Then he smiled. "It's just a tradition. Humor us, will you? This was started by a guy named Spencer who came here years ago, and now he's a Base Leader in Fiore!"

Kate's eyes widened. A Base Leader? That was a huge honor.

"Of course," Rhythmi chimed in, "we can't very well let you go alone. It's too dangerous in the dark. So we drew straws, and chose someone to go with you."

Kate blinked. "And that is?" she asked tentatively, praying it was someone she knew.

Rhythmi's face fell as she sighed. "…Yes," she muttered. "Well, it's…  _him._ "

Kate knew from that tone who she was speaking of, and she felt relief wash over her. Looking at Keith, though, he seemed less than pleased to be accompanying her.

"…Yeah… well," he grumbled, "we might as well get a move on, huh?"

Kate gulped, then nodded. "Y-yeah," she murmured.

* * *

A few minutes later, the two were in the main hall of the school, walking towards the classrooms. Keith was walking directly behind Kate, who was holding a flashlight and lighting their way.

Kate chewed her lip nervously as she looked around. She wasn't spooked by the darkness—not at all. But she  _was_ nervous about how disenchanted Keith seemed to be that he was paired with her. Weren't they friends? Shouldn't he be a bit more cheerful? He was usually so full of energy, was he just tired? It was late at night, after all. Oh, this was torture. She couldn't take it—she had to—

"Keith!" she blurted, spinning around and effectively giving him a blinding light to the face.

"GAH—!" he yelled in response—then he yelled at her. "WHAT, Lovett?!"

Kate jumped at the exclamation. Her mind began to panic. He really did seem ticked off. "U-um," she started, before she lost her nerve, "y-you seem… k-kind of upset… I-I mean, i-if you think this is too much t-trouble, going with me like this—I-I know I must be boring, after all—t-then you can—!"

Keith blinked slowly. Then he managed to put two and two together.

" _WH—"_ he said in response, jumping. "N-no! That's not it, trust me! I-it's nothing to do with you, I-I promise! I-I just, err… ah, shit… U-uh. I-I'm kinda bummed I left my GameBoy upstairs! I-I thought I could, uh… p-play some of it while you looked for Stylers—"

Just as Kate was about to reply something along the lines of 'oh I see sorry to be rude,' a scuffling sound came from nearby.

Keith yelped. Loudly. "EEARGH!" he screeched, jumping behind Kate and grabbing her shoulders. "What was that what was that what the  _hell_ was that."

Kate shone the flashlight on a tiny baby Bidoof, who promptly let out a "doof!" before scuffling away.

Keith blinked—then, noticing he was nearly clawing through Kate's shoulders, managed to let go with shaky hands.

"…I-I see," he coughed, trying to play it off, "it was just a Bidoof, huh? Haha! N-no need to get scared, Lo—"

"Keith," Kate said slowly, "are you afraid of ghosts?"

Keith jumped. " _What?_ " he said, his voice unnaturally high pitched. "Haha no don't be silly Lovett that's ridiculous me afraid of ghosts haha that's a laugh."

Kate put up a hand to stop him. "N-no, it's fine!" she said with a slight smile. "It's nothing to be ashamed of…"

Keith stared with narrowed eyes, as if trying to tell if she was lying. Kate stared back with honest eyes.

"…You better not tell Blythe," he muttered, walking on ahead. "Or  _anyone,_ while you're at it."

Kate jumped, nodding as she ran after him. "Y-yes! I promise!" she replied, voice full of relief.

A while later, after smashing some boxes, chasing a Pichu, and sneaking past Zubat (Kate was beginning to wonder how in the world the students had managed to set this up without being caught), the two had managed to get their hands on four out of five of the Stylers.

Kate blinked, looking around. "Where's your Styler, Keith? It's the only one left," she said nervously. "We've checked all the rooms…" Keith winced, looking down.

"…Not…  _all_ the rooms," he muttered.

Kate blinked. Then her eyes widened as she understood. "…You didn't," she said cautiously.

Keith gave a moan of regret. "I did," he said.

The two slowly looked back to the staircase leading to the basement.

"…I-I thought it'd be funny," Keith mumbled, "so I snuck down there during breakfast and put my Styler down there…"

Kate gulped, but then steeled herself. "I-it can't be helped," she said. "Mr. Kincaid is asleep in the teacher's dorm. It won't be any trouble to go get it. T-there's no reason to be afraid."

Keith nodded in response. "Y-yeah," he said, "L-let's go."

The two slowly went down the staircase, holding onto the railing so they didn't lose their grip. There was a wooden fence put up that blocked their way, but they cut through it easily with a Zubat.

"Why the fence?" Keith muttered. "It wasn't here earlier…"

Kate laughed nervously. "W-who knows…?" she said. Then she blinked.

"Keith!" she called, pointing. Up ahead, sitting on some boxes, was a green School Styler. Keith gave a whoop of triumph.

"Alright!" he laughed, running over and picking it up. "Nice going, Lovett! You've got all the Stylers! Now, let's hurry up and—"

He suddenly stopped, blinking.

"…Keith?" Kate said, looking at him. "What's wrong?"

"…Err… well, I… it's probably nothing." Keith gulped, going a bit pale. "…But… this isn't where I left my Styler."

He looked up, pointing at a higher stack of boxes.

"I-I hid it inside of that top box…"

The air seemed to go cold. The silence that came next was unnatural.

Kate gulped, looking around. "Y-you're probably just imagining it, Keith," she said. "C-c'mon, let's—"

"… _Gaaaast… ly…"_

The two of them both jumped, looking around. "What was—?!" Keith yelped, gripping his Styler.

Kate turned around. And then she shrieked.

Four large balls of shadowy gas were in front of them. Only… they had faces… and large, dripping tongues.

"SHIT!" Keith yelled. "I forgot! Gastly come out at night!"

"H-how do you forget something like—" Kate started, but then screamed as she narrowly ducked out of the way as one of them tried to lick her.

"Kate, take two! I'll take the others!" Keith shouted.

Kate nodded. "R-right!"

"CAPTURE ON!"

Both the students fired their Stylers, the Capture Discs spinning out. Circling the Gastly while at the same time keeping as  _far_ a distance from them as possible, they proceeded the capturing.

And that's when the teleporting began.

"Wha—?" Keith blinked when one of the Gastly he'd been capturing dissolved, reappearing right behind him. "H-HEY! UNFAIR!"

"K-Keith, calm down!" Kate managed to say as she circled fast enough to capture one Gastly successfully. "M-make small, really fast circles so you can get them before they teleport!"

"Got it!" Keith shouted in reply—and once he followed that advice, he had a Gastly under his belt as well. He glared at the other Gastly, who was waving its tongue around as if mocking him. "Alright, you're next, creep!"

In time, the two managed to capture all the Gastly. Releasing them, the Gastly went through the walls, disappearing.

Kate gave a sigh of relief… but then she blinked.

Keith looked at her. "What's up?" he asked.

"Nothing," Kate said uncertainly, "just… you called me 'Kate' just now, right?"

Keith blinked. "I, uh… yes?" he said, confused. Kate smiled brightly.

"T-that was the first time!" she said happily. "B-before, it was always 'Lovett!'"

Keith blinked rapidly—and then his face went a fine red.

" _Wh—_ what the hell?!" he yelped, looking away. "I-it's just a name! Quit being so damn peppy about it!"

"I-I'm sorry!" Kate said, although she couldn't stop smiling. "It's just—"

… _Scritch…_

Both the students jumped a bit, looking up.

… _Scritch, scratch…_

The sound was coming from the door of the basement room.

"…It sounds like… writing," Kate mumbled.

"Who the hell could be up writing at this hour?" Keith muttered. "Should we—"

"WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING IN HERE?!"

A familiar, screeching voice came behind them. Kate and Keith spun around to see who it was, although it was hardly necessary.

"M-Mr. Kincaid?!" Kate exclaimed in shock. "W-what are you—?!"

"Not good!" Keith shouted, grabbing Kate's wrist. "Let's ditch!"

"GET BACK HERE!" Kincaid screamed after them. "THE BASEMENT IS OFF LIMITS! YOU TWO ARE IN BIG TROUBLE FOR…"

The voice faded out as Kate and Keith fled up the stairs.

* * *

Once they returned, the group of students all clapped and cheered.

"Congratulations, Kate!" Rhythmi smiled. "You've completed your test of initiation!"

Kate smiled, although she was still shaky. "T… t-thank you…" she managed.

Keith, who was trying his hardest to forget the whole thing, looked at Ponte. "That reminds me," he said, "where's Mushroom?"

Ponte sighed. "Could you try using his real name, buddy?" he said. "And I think Isaac's studying in the library, as usual. That guy never quits."

Then Ponte grinned, holding up a hand as a signal. "Alright!" he called. "The test is over, so let's eat!"

Immediately, students brought out trays of sweets, plates of food, Berry juice, soda. Kate gaped.

"W-wha…" she started, and Rhythmi smiled.

"We always have a party when a test is complete," she said, "so dig in!"

Kate smiled back. "S-sure!" she replied happily.

Rhythmi smiled more—but then it became more of a smirk. She leaned in close.

"So," she said slyly, "was Keith scared? I have a hunch he's afraid of the dark. Was I right?"

Kate blinked slowly… and then she smiled.

"No," she answered, "sorry, but I didn't notice anything."

Rhythmi frowned. "Tch," she sighed. "I bet you're just covering. Oh, well."

The blonde left to get some food, Kate smiling after her. Then the brunette felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Hm?" She looked up to see Keith behind her. His face was red as he looked away, his mouth set in a stubborn frown.

"…T…" he mumbled. "…Thanks. For not telling her, I mean."

Kate stared for a moment, but then she smiled gently. "No, it's no problem," she replied. Then she blinked.

"Ah, but…" she said, fiddling with her hands. "If it's ok… do you think you could do me something in return?"

Keith blinked. "Uh—yeah, sure," he nodded. "Anything. What's up?"

Kate smiled nervously. "C-could you and Rhythmi… try and get along?" she said slowly. Keith's eyes widened, but she cut him off before he could protest. "P-please? You're both so nice! I-I'm not asking you to be best friends, but… if you could just start by calling her by her first name instead of 'Blythe…' A-and maybe not insult her as much…"

Keith gritted his teeth slowly, looking at her with narrowed amber eyes. Kate stared back with honest pale blue ones… finally, he let out a sigh of defeat.

"…I'll  _try,_ " he said. "But don't expect us to become fluffy-lovey-best-friends-forever overnight!"

Kate's face lit up, her cheeks flushing pink in joy. She nodded. "T-thank you!"

Keith blushed more, looking away. "Now c'mon, let's get food… Rhythmi!" he shouted across the room to the blonde. "Save us some seats!"

Rhythmi looked utterly shocked and confused for a moment when he said her first name—but recovered quickly, yelling back, "Sure!"

The party went on into the night.

* * *

Downstairs, in the single room of the basement, a young boy was working at a desk, writing up some kind of report. He had the Academy uniform on, eager-looking blue eyes, and blonde hair styled in a bowl cut—almost like a mushroom. He was surrounded by machines and papers as he worked away. The room was like a lab of some sort, with graphs, contraptions, screws, tools, rulers—every research implement under the sun.

The door opened, and in came Mr. Kincaid. The boy blinked, looking to see who had come in. He smiled when he saw the teacher.

"Mr. Kincaid!" he exclaimed. "I was just finishing these reports. The carbon balance seems to be a bit off, but if I can fix the nuclear absorption rate, then—"

Mr. Kincaid chuckled, patting the boy's head. "Calm down," he said. "You've done some good work today. It's late, though—shouldn't you sleep?"

"Huh? Late?" the boy blinked. "What are you talking about, sir? It's only…"

He looked at the clock. Two in the morning.

"W-wah!" he stood up, eyes wide in surprise. "I-it's already this time?! I-I didn't even notice!"

Mr. Kincaid smiled. "So into your work that you didn't notice the time, huh?" he said. "You seem to do that a lot, boy."

The boy laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. "A-ahaha…" he smiled. "Well, I should get to sleep. I have more work to do tomorrow."

Mr. Kincaid nodded. "Alright, then," he said, "I'll see you when I finish teaching my class."

The boy nodded, giving one last broad smile before walking out of the lab and into the darkness of the hallway ahead.


	3. The Mushroom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two weeks after her test of the initiation, Kate has now completely adjusted to her new life in the Academy. While wandering the libraries of the school, she bumps into a certain mushroom headed student from another class. With a big IQ, but a small amount of social skills, Isaac is very similar to Kate--shy, meek, and a model student. Secluded from all the other students, he prefers books and chemistry to friends. But why is Rhythmi, the queen bee herself, acting so familiar with him?

"…Hey, Kate."

"What is it, Keith?"

It had been two weeks since the test of initiation. The hot summer months were slowly cooling into fall, and Kate and Keith were sitting under a tree, Kate writing something as Keith lied on his back and stared at the sky.

"What do you think that whole deal in the basement was?" Keith asked, crunching a fallen red leaf in his hand. "Kincaid never reported us. And to top that, he closed off the basement entrance with a  _traffic sign._ "

"…Mm," Kate tapped her pen against her lip. "Maybe… it was dark, so he didn't get a good look at our faces? That would explain the whole not reporting us…"

"He'd recognize our voices, right?" Keith pressed. "I mean, we yelled when he caught us!"

"Well, maybe not," Kate said thoughtfully. "Your voice was pretty high-pitched then, Keith. Maybe Mr. Kincaid thought you were a girl."

Keith reddened. "Z-zip it!" he snapped, sitting up and looking at her. "W-whatever, let's just drop it for now! A-and where's Rhythmi?!"

Kate sighed, not looking up from her paper. "I told you earlier," she said, "Rhythmi is in her Operating class. She has a quiz on the National Ranger Database, remember?"

"Tch," Keith grumbled, "she'll probably be too busy checking out her reflection to do any studying."

The brunette frowned, lifting her eyes to look at him. "Be nice," she scolded lightly, "she let you copy her notes from last class."

"That doesn't mean I have to  _like_ her," the redhead huffed, leaning against the tree next to her. "What are you doing, anyway? Writing a paper?"

Kate smiled slightly at him. "No," she said, "I'm writing a letter."

"Letter?" Keith sat up a bit, his curiosity piqued. "Who to? Parents?"

"Well, something like that," Kate replied as she wrote more, "it's to my little sister. And she repeats everything I write to my parents, so I guess it's the same thing."

"…Sister?" Keith blinked, his jaw dropping a bit. "You've got a  _sister?_ "

Kate nodded. "Yeah!" she said, smiling more. "She's eight years old, and she lives back in Pacifidlog with my parents. She's really cute, and sweet, too!"

Keith made a hum in the back of his throat. "A little sister, huh… Must be nice," he said, "being able to be a role model like that."

Kate's cheeks flushed a fine red. "H-huh?" she stammered, looking down. "O-oh, no, I-I'm not a…" she decided to change the subject. "W-what about you, Keith? You don't have siblings?"

Keith shrugged. "Yeah, I got siblings," he said, "just not younger ones. I've got an older brother."

Kate blinked, staring. "An older brother," she murmured, "huh…"

A few seconds passed, after which Keith looked up at Kate.

"…W-what?" he said. "Why're you staring? It's creeping me out."

"…Nothing… just," Kate blinked again, tilting her head a bit. "Keith, you don't really fit the 'little brother' look."

Keith sputtered, straightening up to look at her. "W-what the  _hell_ are you—?"

Just then, though, a bell started sounding from the school. The two looked up.

"That was the third bell… we still have one more study hall." Kate looked at Keith. "Do you want to go to the obstacle course?"

Keith winced, and then groaned. "Can't," he replied, "Kincaid caught me nicking food from the kitchens. I've got detention. See, that's  _another_ suspicious thing—he's been harder on me ever since that night!"

Kate sighed. " _Or,_ " she quipped back, "you've just been getting caught more often."

She stood up. "If you'll be in detention this period, then I'm going to study in the library. Rhythmi's got a double period for her class, so I'll be alone."

Keith sighed. "Yeah, yeah," he said. "We've got World Studies with Ms. April next, right?"

"And then Target Clearing practice with Ms. Claire," Kate added, "so you might as well bring your Styler to World Studies so we can head straight to the practice fields from there."

"Got it," Keith said, turning away, "have fun at the  _library._ "

Kate smiled, nodding. "I will!" she replied cheerfully as Keith rolled his eyes at her obliviousness to sarcasm.

* * *

The library was large and quiet, tables set up so students could read in peace. The bookcases reached all the way to the ceiling, ladders and staircases set up so students could access all the books.

Kate was in the Pokémon Research aisle, looking for a specific book—she had a test on Pokémon and their habitats next week, and Rhythmi had recommended a book that covered the subjects according to type very well. Running a finger along the spines of the books, she searched for the title.

"…Pokémon In Their Natural Habitats," she mused to herself. "Pokémon Types and the Habitats that Affect Them… ah! 'Habitats And The Pokémon That Shape Them—'"

Her hand fell on the book—but surprisingly, it wasn't alone. A different hand also went for the book at the same time as her, the fingers touching in the process.

"…Huh…" Kate blinked, looking up to see who it was.

Staring back at her was a boy who looked her age. He had bright blue eyes and blonde hair that was styled in a bowl cut—almost like a mushroom. He was carrying several books under one arm, the other reaching for the book Kate had been searching for. His skin was pale, as if he never went outside.

"…Ah…" The boy blinked, staring back at Kate. Then he jumped, ears going pink as he quickly retracted his hand. "I-I'm so sorry! I-I shouldn't have—!"

Kate also jumped, stammering. "N-no, i-it's fine! Y-you got the book first, s-so—!"

"N-no, y-you take the book! P-please!"

"L-like I said, y-you went first, a-and I don't want to get in your way!"

"D-don't worry, I-I-I've read t-this book a-at  _least_ seven times!"

"T-that may be so, b-but…!"

The two both gulped simultaneously, both their faces dark red from embarrassment. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, the boy took the book off the shelf.

"P-please," he said, holding the book out, "I-I insist."

Kate stared for a moment, before nodding with an awkward jerk of the head. "T-thank you," she said, taking the book.

"I-it's no problem!" The boy replied quickly. "I-I know there's a test coming up for Ms. April's class, s-so you need it far more than I do."

Kate nodded again—but then she blinked, looking up. "…U-um," she said uncertainly, "h-how do you know I'm in Ms. April's class?"

The boy gave a sheepish smile. "Ah… well, you're not in Mr. Kincaid's class. I-I don't go to class that often, but I know that much. S-so it's only natural you be in Ms. April's."

"I-I see," Kate replied, gripping her book. "…U-um…"

Steeling her courage, she managed to blurt out, "W-what's your name!?"

The boy blinked a bit in surprise, but then he looked down with a nervous smile. "I… i-it's Isaac," he said. "Isaac Verity."

"I-Isaac Verity," Kate repeated, so she'd remember. "I-I'm Kate. K-Kate Lovett."

Isaac seemed to mull that over for a moment. "Lovett… oh!" he smiled, holding up his pointer finger. "Y-you're that transfer student! Ponte told me about you."

"Y-yes!" Kate exclaimed in response. "T-that's me! T-the transfer student!"

A pause came to the conversation, filled only by uncomfortable silence.

"…W-well," Kate finally said. "I-I should… p-probably get studying. I-it was nice talking, Mr. Verity."

She turned to leave, but Isaac called, "W-wait up!"

Kate jumped, looking back. "Y-yes!" she squeaked. "W-what is it?"

"I… I know the test is, um," Isaac gulped, "going to be hard. S-so, I mean… i-if you're OK with it, Miss Lovett… I-I could help you study—i-if it's ok, t-that is!"

Kate blinked slowly. But then her ears turned red, and she nodded frantically.

"S-sure!" she replied hurriedly. "I-I barely understand this material! I-if it's really alright, I-I… I would appreciate the help!"

The two walked off to a study table, both seeming very pleased at having a new friend.

* * *

"Kate?"

Rhythmi frowned as yet another whisper went unreturned. She'd finished her test twenty minutes ago, and after a brief visit to Keith in Mr. Kincaid's room, had learned that Kate was in the library.

"Jeez," the blonde, sighed, twisting a curl of hair around her little finger, "where could she be…?"

"…So you see, if a forest becomes overpopulated with…"

"…Oh, I get it…"

Rhythmi blinked, looking around for the familiar whispers. Turning a corner, she saw Kate's familiar pigtails and… a mushroom?

"Kate!" Rhythmi called in a whisper, walking over.

Kate looked up from her books, her face lighting up. "Oh, Rhythmi!" she smiled in delight. "I was just here studying. Did Keith tell you where I was?"

Rhythmi smiled back. "Yep. I finished my test, so I thought I'd come and help you out… but…" she looked over at Isaac. "I guess you didn't need it. Hey, Isaac."

Kate smiled more. "Yep! He's so smart! Apparently, he's able to skip classes and research on his own—isn't that amazing?" She looked at the blonde boy. "Tell her, Mr. Ve—WHOA!"

She jumped a bit when she saw Isaac's face, which was a rather interesting shade of maroon. His eyes were wide as saucers, his jaw hanging slightly slack, and his hands shaking as he tried—and failed miserably—to not look at Rhythmi.

"I-Isaac!" Kate shrieked in worry. "A-are you OK?!"

Rhythmi just blinked, oddly not fazed by this turn of events.

Isaac didn't answer for a bit, but when his brain registered the words, his body gave a jolt as he gulped for air.

"N-no—" he said in a rather choked voice, "I-I'm fine—b-but I—I-I should r-really get going—"

"Why's that?" Rhythmi said, blinking. "Stay awhile. I'd like to see the 'one in a million genius' show off a bit."

She smiled dazzlingly.

Isaac's face went from maroon to burgundy. His hands shook as he started to quickly gather his books.

"T-that sounds great but maybe some other time because I really have to go now haha seriously sorry I couldn't stay I'm really sorry good luck on your test Miss Lovett BYE—"

He sped out of the library, almost slipping on the carpet as he went.

Kate blinked, her face awash with worry. "…W-was he really alright?" she murmured. "He looked sick…"

"Really?" Rhythmi blinked back, still looking as if nothing of interest had happened. "He seemed fine to me."

"Kate!" a voice suddenly yelled from nearby. "Rhythmi!"

The two girls looked up to see Keith running towards them. Rhythmi glared daggers at him.

"Keith!" she hissed, eyes darting to the librarian, "don't yell,  _or_ run! Do you want detention again!?"

Keith rolled his eyes. "Oh, like it matters," he huffed, "I already served my time."

Looking at Kate, he asked, "So, was your  _precious library_ time fun?"

Kate smiled cheerfully. "Y-yeah!" she replied. "I-I met a boy named Isaac Verity, a-and he helped me study!"

Keith blinked. "Verity?" he said. He ran a hand through his messy copper hair, mulling it over. "Verity… Isaac Verity… oh. Isn't that Mushroom Boy?"

Rhythmi made a 'tsk' of disapproval. "He has a  _name,_ you know."

Keith glared. "Shut it. I can't memorize every friggin' student in this school." He turned his attention to Kate. "But Mushroom Boy, huh? Yeah, I heard he's a genius. He's allowed to skip class just so he can do solo research—he's here to be a scientist, can you believe it?"

Kate nodded fervently. "I can!" she exclaimed. "He's so smart! A-and not only that, he's a good teacher, he's nice, and he was patient when I didn't understand…"

Keith stared.

"…Sounds like you've taken a liking to him," he commented—his voice carrying a note of suspicion.

Of course, though, Kate was tone-deaf. "Yeah!" she smiled. "I… I-I think we might actually be friends now! Isn't that great?!"

Keith looked at her for a bit. Then his mouth seemed to set in a small, stubborn frown as he averted his eyes.

"…Yeah," he muttered. "That's great. Good for you." Kate beamed in response, while Rhythmi just blinked a bit before a faint smirk made its way onto her face. "Anyway!" Keith continued quickly, obviously eager to change the subject, "Kate, c'mon. We've got World Studies next. You too, Rhythmi!"

"A-ah, ok!" Kate said, unable to feel the change of Keith's mood through her joyous haze of making a new friend. The three set off for their class, Keith a little ahead of the other two as he stomped through the library.

* * *

Hours later, classes were over. Kate, Keith and Rhythmi were in the common room, seated around a small table—Kate and Rhythmi on a sofa together, and Keith in an armchair next to them. They were each occupied with their own activity—Kate was finishing up the letter to her sister, Keith was reading a comic book ( _"The Adventures of Red and Blue"_ ), and Rhythmi was doing her nails.

Kate hummed a bit as she slipped her neatly folded letter into an envelope. "Done!" she said happily.

Keith looked up. "Good for you," he said. "Hope your sister likes it."

Rhythmi blinked. "Sister?" She looked at Kate. "You have a sister?"

Kate smiled sheepishly at the sudden déjà vu. "Y-yeah. A younger one. She's back at home with my family—but once I get stationed as a full-fledged Ranger, they plan on moving nearby."

"Hmm," Keith hummed in remark, "that's nice. My dad's always traveling, and my brother's in med school…"

"You have a  _brother?_ " Rhythmi said in disbelief. "How do I not know these things? I know everything."

"Yeah," Keith snorted quietly, "that's 'cause you're a nosy—"

" _Keith,_ " Kate cut him off gently. Keith just grumbled, but stopped himself from finishing.

Kate smiled, looking out the window. "…I wonder where I'll get stationed?" she mused. "Maybe in a desert area? Or a big city?"

Keith shrugged. "Who knows?" he said. "We're going to be stationed depending on which Bases are in need of new Rangers, what environments we'd work best in—et cetera." Then he smirked, adding, "Knowing your luck, though, you'd be put all the way in a dark forest."

Kate huffed a little at that. "That's mean," she replied. Then, with a smile, "But even that wouldn't be too bad. I never even saw trees before coming to this school, so a forest would be kind of nice…"

A beat.

Keith slowly looked up from his comic book.

"…You…" Keith said slowly, "never saw trees."

Kate shook her head. "Nope."

Keith gaped. "…How the  _hell,_ " he insisted, "do you go through  _sixteen years of life_ without ever seeing a  _tree?_ "

Kate flinched a bit, but Rhythmi seemed unfazed.

"It's not unusual," she said, blowing her nails, "considering where she came from."

"And just where the hell did she come from?" Keith demanded. " _Space?!_ "

"P-Pacifidlog in Hoenn," Kate said meekly. Rhythmi rolled her eyes.

"It's not in space," she explained, "but it  _is_ in something unusual… Pacifidlog is a floating city. It's in the middle of the ocean."

Keith blinked, processing that.

"I-I never left Pacifidlog growing up," Kate said with a sheepish smile, "so I never really saw a real tree. Just the ocean everywhere around me. Oh—but ships came in with lumber and food supply!"

"…That," Keith said finally, "is…  _so cool!_ "

He looked at Kate, suddenly fully engaged. "So it's in the middle of the ocean!? How the hell does that even work?!"

"U-um," Kate stammered, a bit surprised by the sudden questioning. "W-well, all the houses and stores are built on a special water-resistant wood… I-it's really durable, but it floats at the same time. T-they're anchored down so we don't float away."

"Wow… that's sick," Keith said, obviously impressed.

Rhythmi scowled, sticking her leg out at him and pushing her bare foot in his face. "Don't use such immature language," she said in disgust.

"EW! Rhythmi!" Keith yelped, although he was laughing slightly as he pushed her foot off. Rhythmi seemed a bit amused as well—and Kate was positively beaming at the two.

"…Thank Arceus," she said happily, "you guys are getting along better."

Keith rolled his eyes, scoffing. "Sure, if you call her shoving her foot in my face 'getting along better,' then we're the best of friends," he replied, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Kate giggled, but then blinked. "…Speaking of getting along…" she looked at Rhythmi. "Rhyth, I wanted to ask you something."

"Shoot," Rhythmi said, blowing on one nail.

"Um… I might be wrong about this, but… do you know Isaac?" Kate inquired, tilting her head a bit to look at Rhythmi more. "It might have been just me, but you seemed to be familiar with him."

" _What?_ " Keith said, his face showing utter disbelief. "Nerd boy and  _Rhythmi?_ You're kidding, right?"

"I-it's true!" Kate insisted. "She called him by his first name, all casual-like!"

Keith rolled his eyes. "Believe it or not, Kate, not everyone goes addressing their peers by 'Mr.' and 'Miss.' But…" he looked at Rhythmi. "Is Kate wrong? Or do you…?"

Rhythmi didn't look up from her nails. "Yeah, I know him," she said simply. "We grew up together."

A silence, in which Kate and Keith stared with wide eyes.

"…S-seriously?" Keith choked.

Rhythmi nodded in response. "I lived in Floaroma town with my mom," she explained. "She runs the flower shop there. It's small, but it's the most popular one in Sinnoh, I'll bet… anyways, Isaac lived in Twinleaf Town. His mom and my mom are really good friends—they used to hang out all the time by having Isaac and his mom fly over on their family Staraptor. As a result, Isaac and I played together a lot as kids…" she sighed a bit. "If you can call it that, I suppose."

Kate blinked. "Pardon?" she asked.

Rhythmi rolled her eyes. "He read books. A lot. That was pretty much his idea of fun…" she sighed again—but this time it seemed a bit more reminiscent. "…But," she continued, "he always read me the best stories. He could read entire novels when we were just four, can you believe it? Of course I was illiterate at that age, and my mom was always too busy to properly read me stories… so… it was nice, having him around."

Keith stared. "…You two don't hang around anymore, though?" he asked, confused. "I mean, if you're childhood friends…"

"We grew apart," Rhythmi replied bluntly as she applied a clear finish to her nails. "His family moved away to Pueltown when we were twelve. I saw him for the first time in four years when I came to this school… but… he's always busy studying."

Kate's face fell. "…That's so sad."

Rhythmi blinked, and then smiled. "Oh, don't be like that!" she said. "I have you, Kate. And Keith, even though he's annoying and a pain in the ass."

"I'm right here," Keith muttered, "as usual."

Rhythmi ignored him, continuing. "So it's ok. Isaac's busy pursuing his dream, and I respect that."

Kate smiled, but it was a bit weak as her thoughts scrambled in the back of her mind. She said that, but… Isaac had really seemed to be open to Kate, a complete stranger, even though he seemed busy at the time. How could he not have time for Rhythmi?

Deciding not to brood on it, Kate pushed the thought away as another one surfaced. "Oh! One more question!" she said.

"Yes?" Rhythmi said, giving her nails a final inspection.

"Isaac looked sick earlier, right? His face was all red and he was stammering a lot. You weren't worried at all, Rhythmi?"

Rhythmi blinked… and then she looked up.

"What are you talking about, Kate?" she said in total bewilderment. "Isaac's always been like that. Since we were little kids… I've never talked to him before without seeing his face that color, I figure it's just the way he is. What, was he different with you?"

Kate blinked.

Keith's eyes widened, before he let out a 'pff' and ducked behind his comic book as he desperately tried to contain his laughter.

"I… w-well, h-he was…" Kate said in confusion. "He seemed—"

" _O_ -kay!" Keith interrupted loudly, standing up. "Curfew's soon! Let's all get ready for bed!" He walked past the sofa, grabbing one of Kate's pigtails and dragging her off down the hall towards the dorms. "C'mon, Kate! Rhythmi, catch up when your nails dry! One, two, one, two, nothing to see here, folks—"

The two left Rhythmi alone with only her glossy blue nails and a  _very_ confused state of mind.

And around the corner, a mushroom-headed scientist stole one last glance at the blonde before scurrying off to bed.


	4. Outdoors Class

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Outdoors Class: a tradition in the Academy where a Ranger from the next town over visits the school and answers any questions the students may have about their future careers. Keith's certainly eager, having prepared 38 questions himself--but will he even get a chance to ask anything?

It was a colorful fall day, the breeze sending reddish hues of leaves fluttering across the grounds of Ranger Academy. Inside the school, Ms. April's class was all gathered in their homeroom, all chatting and gossiping in excitement about what was to come.

"Settle down, settle down!" Ms. April called as she took the stand at the teacher's desk. "The longer you chatter, the longer it'll take for us to get out of this school and into the courtyard!" Almost immediately, the whole class went quiet—Keith being the last to go silent, of course, as he hurriedly put in his final two bits. Ms. April smiled. "…Now then," she said, "I assume you all know what today is?"

"OUTDOORS CLASS!" the class cheered back, their volume more than making up for their small size. Ms. April beamed more.

"Come on!" Keith shouted. "We wouldn't forget about  _Outdoors Class!_ "

"That's right!" she said. "Today, we'll be spending the day outside with a visiting Ranger from Vientown. There, you can ask him any questions you like. Of course, there  _are_ rules… don't ask too many questions, because there are other people who would like to go. Don't ask the Ranger any questions unrelated to his job. And, for Pete's sake,  _raise your hand and wait to be chosen_ before asking a question."

She gave a pointed look at Keith. "That means you, Mr. Evans." Keith gave his best angel face, but rolled his eyes dramatically when Ms. April turned away.

"With that out of the way," she said, "let's all go outside, class. We're gathering in Ascension Square. Don't make a fuss—Mr. Kincaid's class is studying in their room. They had their Outdoors Class yesterday."

Quickly, the class hurried out of the room, all whispering in excitement. Kate, Keith and Rhythmi hung a few feet back, walking behind the rest of the class.

" _Yahoo!_ " Keith said, doing a rather out-of-character skip. "I've been waiting all month for this!"

"…Yahoo?" Rhythmi said, raising an eyebrow. " _Yahoo?_ Forgive me if I'm wrong, Keith, but you're  _way_  too excited about this."

Kate blinked from her spot in between Keith and Rhythmi. "Come to think of it, Keith," she said, "you thought of thirty-four questions to ask the Ranger, right?"

"Thirty- _eight._ " Keith said proudly. "I thought of four more overnight."

Rhythmi made a tsk of disapproval. "I hope you realize you'll only have time for three questions max. Maybe four."

Keith went a bit red in the ears. "S-so I just ask the rest when class is over, before he leaves!" He snapped. "Problem solved!"

Kate laughed nervously, quickly steering the subject around. "B-but… a real Ringtown Ranger, huh?" she said. "I wonder what they'll be like?"

"Cool, strong, calm, collected…" Keith said, ticking off points on his fingers, "…and totally awesome. Like  _me,_ but with a way cooler uniform."

Rhythmi made a snort of laughter. "…You? Calm and collected?" she said. "You're about as calm and collected as a Vigoroth after eating a Tamato Berry." Keith glared at her, but decided not to dignify her with a response. The three were now in the courtyard, approaching the stairs to Ascension Square.

"How come you aren't excited, Rhyth?" Keith demanded. "This is a  _real Ranger_ we're talking about here! Like, an official one!"

"Exactly. A  _Ranger._ " Rhythmi said, putting her nose up in the air. "I'm training to be an  _Operator._ I'm not interested in Rangers. All that physical work and grime is so unappealing to me."

"Yes, Arceus forbid you break a nail," Keith muttered, Kate smiling in response.

Rhythmi glared. "Operators are what keep  _Rangers_ from getting killed on every mission. They're far more important… no offense, Kate."

Before Kate could say "none taken," Keith snarled. "You've gotta be kidding! Without Rangers, nothing would get done! We're definitely more important!"

"G-guys, let's not—" Kate started weakly, but was immediately cut off as the two started to bicker over her head.

Kate sighed as the trio went down the stairs, praying that Ms. April would be able to get the two to shut up.

* * *

They were gathered at Ascension Square, a clear plot of land with a nice view of the ocean, a small, dingy dock and a huge stone statue in the shape of a Ranger holding out his Styler directly in front of him, an Operator holding her clipboard, and a Mechanic, holding his wrench and toolbox with pride. The figures stood on a stone platform that was about five feet tall, a small set of stairs leading up to the actual statue. It, not counting the platform, was easily fifteen feet tall, maybe twenty at most. There, the class was gathered around the beloved, much idolized Ranger they had all been waiting anxiously for the whole month.

_Hair._

That was Kate's first thought.

The man in front of them looked fairly young—twenty five, maybe twenty six. He was tall and lanky, with a slightly large nose. He was wearing a uniform that consisted of a white shirt, a red jacket with yellow cuffs, black shorts with the same cuffs and red shoes that looked beaten up, but still quite usable. A red Styler with an official Union seal was on his belt. The most memorable detail about this man, though, was his  _hair—_ he had a huge brown afro, curls bouncing all around his head. Surrounding him were three Pokémon—a Bellossom, a Cherubi, and a Combee.

Rhythmi looked even less impressed than Kate, who just looked… shocked. "An afro." she mumbled. "The man has an afro." Keith, however, was unfazed, practically vibrating from his seat next to Kate.

"Alright, class, settle down!" Ms. April called. "This is Crawford. He's a Ranger at Vientown Base… Crawford, would you like to introduce yourself?"

"You got it, Ms. April!" Crawford said. He grinned around at the students. "Like she said, the name's Crawford. I've been a Ranger for about eight years, now, and it's a pretty great job!" He gestured to the three Pokémon surrounding him. "These here are the Friend Pokémon I captured on my walk here! Now, who can tell me what Friend Pokémon are?" Rhythmi raised her hand. "Yes, the lovely lady in the back with the big blonde do!"

Rhythmi cleared her throat before putting her nose in the air and saying proudly, "Friend Pokémon are Pokémon that are captured by Rangers with their Capture Styler. These Pokémon can be used to power up the Styler, clear obstacles, or aid the progression of a Mission in other ways. However, once a Friend Pokémon has served its purpose, the Styler automatically releases it."

Keith glared at Rhythmi before muttering, "You quoted that right out of the bloody textbook."

Crawford, not noticing this, smiled more. "And now, I'd like to introduce you all to one last friend of mine…"

He grinned more, going silent. The students all looked around, craning their heads to see if anyone was nearby. When it became clear there was no person or Pokémon in sight, they started to mumble amongst themselves in confusion.

The mumbles turned to cries of alarm when Crawford's afro started rustling.

Rhythmi yelped, "what in the-?!" while Keith simply let out a  _"cool!"_ Kate just stared with wide eyes, gulping as the afro moved and squirmed. And then—

"Bud _ew!_ "

A little Pokémon popped its head out of the afro, several students screaming when it did so. It was green, with a cute little yellow face, the top of its body looking like a bud.

"Ahh," Crawford said, cackling a bit as he removed the Pokémon from his hair, "that never gets old. This is my Partner Pokémon, Budew!"

All the students (besides the more mentally scarred ones) cheered and gave applause. Ms. April let out a shaky sigh, looking a bit pale.

"Honestly, Crawford," she said, "would you at least  _consider_ cutting your hair? It gives me the heebie-jeebies."

Crawford laughed. "You always did have a weakness for overgrown, tangled things, Ms. April," he said. Then, with a look at the students, "Ms. April here was actually my teacher all those years ago. She nearly fainted when she saw me—and on her first day on the job, too!" Ms. April blushed, hissing at him. Crawford ignored her. "Anyway, now for the fun part… question time! Who wants to go first?"

Several students raised their hands, Keith almost shaking with the effort to not blurt out all thirty-eight of his questions. However, Crawford didn't pick him. "You there!" he said, pointing at a brunette boy.

"You said Partner Pokémon, right?" the boy asked. "What does that mean?"

"I'm glad you asked, teenage male!" Crawford said happily. "A Partner Pokémon is basically a Pokémon that a Ranger has a deep bond with. Unlike just capturing Pokémon, using them once, and then releasing them, Partner Pokémon are always with you."

"So!" the boy pressed. "If you were friends with lots of Pokémon, you could take them with you all the time?!"

"Bzzzt!" Crawford responded, putting his arms in an X shape. "Wrong-o! The laws of the Union state that a Ranger may only have one Partner Pokémon with them at any given time! Sure, you COULD have lots of different Pokémon, but you could only take one with you on duty!" The student huffed a bit at that, but went silent. "Next?"

Keith's hand once again shot up as fast as a rocket, but Crawford looked to another. "Yes, you, with the pink ribbon!"

"Yes!" The brunette girl with a big pink ribbon in her hair said. "Mr. Crawford, why did you decide to become a Pokémon Ranger?"

Crawford smiled. "Well, I suppose it's all because I love Pokémon," he said. "I want to become friends with them. To bond with them—and what better way to do that by working side by side with them, protecting society from evil with them? Plus," he continued, grinning, "it's just a hell of a cool job!"

"A- _hem,_ " Ms. April coughed, giving a pointed glare at Crawford.

Crawford smiled nervously in response. "…Heck," he corrected. "A-alright, who next?"

Keith seemed to nearly break his neck this time raising his hand. Despite the effort, though, Crawford turned to an ebony-haired girl. "Yes, Ms. Ponytail over there!"

"Thanks!" she said. "Well, I wanna know for future training simulations… what kinds of Pokémon are difficult to capture?"

"Hmm," Crawford mused. "That's a toughie. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses when it comes to capturing. But if we're speaking strictly for me… Definitely Psychic and Ghost-type Pokémon. You see, they have a nasty habit of teleporting outside the Capture Loop. Now, that won't make any trouble for a Ranger who's good at analyzing the situation and knowing where to move the Disc so you don't lose the Pokémon, but… well, I'm not very good at that."

"Just like what happened to us…" Kate whispered to Keith. He nodded quickly, before raising his hand once more… however, this time Kate joined him.

Crawford looked over, pointing at Kate. "Yes, Ms. Spiky over there!"

Keith glared daggers at Kate that screamed "mutiny." Kate gulped, ignoring him as she spoke.

"U-um," she said shakily, "H-how exactly does b-being a Ranger w-w-work?"

Crawford blinked. "Hey now, no need to be afraid! I don't bite!" he said. "But strictly speaking, here's how it works. Typical Rangers work under a Base Leader. Those Base Leaders issue missions, which we carry out. When we don't have a mission to be working on, we patrol our given area, helping out citizens and basically keeping the order."

Kate nodded carefully. "Y-yes… I understand." She said. Crawford grinned in response.

Next up, much to Keith's chagrin, was Rhythmi. "Alright then, smarty-pants! What do you have to ask?" Crawford said.

"No offense to you, sir," Rhythmi said, her voice dripping with offense, "but in the long run, Operators are more vital to the overall operation than Rangers, right? We relay information, missions, we analyze situations… without us, Rangers would be virtually useless, right?"

Keith let out an 'oh!' of indignation.

Crawford blinked. "…Well… you have a point," he said. "But without us Rangers, who would you Operators be talking to?"

Rhythmi's smug look quickly fell. "…W-well," she said. "T-that's…"

Crawford smiled.

"…I'm not going to say Rangers are superior to Operators," he said. "But I'm not going to say Operators are superior to Rangers, either. They're both equally important, and neither can survive without the other. They both aid and support each other. Of course, though, it isn't a two way balance—you also have Mechanics." Two of the students—specifically, the two Mechanic students—grinned and nodded in agreement. "These three depend on each other—it's that balance that the Ranger System flourishes and thrives on."

Rhythmi looked down, completely silent. Crawford smiled more—then he walked over, patting her head.

"…You'll understand one day," he said. "Heck, there's a whole lesson on it. Once you accept you're not the most important, the whole world seems to put itself into perspective."

Rhythmi was quiet a bit longer. Finally, though, she gave a small nod.

"…Alright!" Crawford said, striding over to his original spot. "Anyone else?"

Keith's hand shot up, accompanied by a loud "ME!"

Crawford, along with the rest of the group, jumped a little. After a beat, Crawford let out a loud laugh. "Alright then!" he said. "You there, with the flaming hair!"

Keith's whole face lit up. "Yes!" he said happily. "I've got thirty-eight questions! But the first one—the most important one—that question is—!"

He was abruptly cut off by a loud beeping noise coming from Crawford's belt.

"Ah—" Crawford said, reaching for his Styler. "Hold that thought, kid."

He took out the Styler, hitting a button. A screen slid open, and suddenly a voice could be heard coming from the machine.

" _Crawford!"_ The voice was deep and burly, obviously belonging to a man.  _"Are you still at the school?"_

"Correct-a-mundo, Chief," Crawford answered, stroking Budew. "What's up?"

" _We've got trouble,"_ the voice answered.  _"Some fishermen thought it'd be a good idea to go into Mantine territory. It's illegal to fish there, but they thought they could make a quick buck since there's rumors of treasure in that area. Anyway, they dropped nets to pick up some treasure they found—but a Mantine got caught up, and now it's stuck."_

The students were buzzing with excitement, their combined murmurs making a steady hum of noise.  _"The fishermen have been arrested, but the Mantine is still tangled—plus, it's injured a fin in the boat's propeller,"_ the voice continued.  _"Sorry, Crawford, but Outdoor Class will have to be cut short. Luana's already en route to the Academy's dock to pick you up."_

"Roger that, Chief!" Crawford grinned. "This is Crawford, signing off!" He hit a button, the Styler powering down. "Sorry, kids—looks like I've gotta end it here."

The class groaned a bit, but nonetheless, they looked excited as they witnessed a real mission being issued.

Keith, on the other hand, looked like his heart had just been ripped out his chest, chewed up, spit out, and then stepped on.

Just then, the loud noise of a boat's jet could be heard. The class all looked to see a figure there—it was hard to make out, but from the size and sound of the voice, it seemed to be a young woman.

"CRAW _FORD!_ " the girl shouted. "Let's go! We've got work to do!"

"Roger that, Lu!" Crawford yelled in response, his mood seeming to improve tenfold. "Well, see you later, guys!"

He ran to the boat with his Pokémon, leaping off the dock and onto the deck—and the class watched as the boat sped off, leaving only rippling water in its wake.

A long silence ensued, the whole class watching as the boat slowly faded out of view.

"…That," a boy finally said, "was  _so cool._ "

* * *

" _Arceus!"_ Keith yelled at the sky. "Thirty-eight questions! Thirty-eight  _fucking_ questions I had to ask that Ranger—and I couldn't ask one of them!"

"Calm down, Keith," Rhythmi said, "all that yelling's gonna make me lose my appetite."

It was nightfall, the stars blinking into view. Kate, Keith and Rhythmi had decided to carry their dinner all the way to Ascension Square. They were alone—Kate was sitting on the ground next to the platform, Rhythmi on the stairs so as not to get dirty. Keith, of course deciding to be a rebel, had climbed up and was perched on the toolbox of the Mechanic about halfway up the statue.

"Is it really ok for us to be here?" Kate said nervously.

Keith rolled his eyes. "Naahh, it'll be fine," he said. "Everyone's too busy talking their heads off about that Mantine thing. They won't miss us as long as we make bedtime curfew." He grinned at Rhythmi. "I have to say, though—it was pretty nice seeing Rhyth get chewed out by that Ranger."

Rhythmi blushed, glaring up at him. "I was  _not_ chewed out!" she snapped. "He just corrected me about a mistake I made about how the Ranger-Operator-Mechanic system works—!"

"Liar, liar, tail on fire," Keith sang gleefully.

Rhythmi huffed. "Can it," she said. Then she looked at the sky, smiling. "I'm going to be the best Operator in the world. A Top Operator."

Kate blinked. "A Top Operator… W-wah!" she flinched, looking a bit intimidated. "A-aren't there only two Top Operators right now, though?! S-shouldn't you aim a bit lower first…?"

Rhythmi looked at her, smiling. "And why should I?" she asked, batting her eyelashes. "Go big or go home. I want to help people all around the world with my  _fabulous_ communication skills."

Keith snorted. "Yeah," he retorted, "I'll let you know if Godzilla decided to take over Almia. I'm sure you'd be able to communicate with him."

Rhythmi threw an apple at his head with surprising accuracy, considering he was eight feet up. Kate laughed nervously in response, but when Keith recovered, he spoke at Kate.

"Ow-ow-ow… a-anyway, what about you, Kate?" He asked, looking at the sky. "Don't you wanna be a Top Ranger?"

"…I wonder," Kate murmured, leaning back. "I mean… I didn't come here with big dreams or anything. I-I guess I just wanted to  _do_ something. I wanted to leave the ocean, I wanted to see the world, I wanted to…" she sighed. "…It's hard to explain, I guess… but… I want to do something. But I don't know what that 'something' is yet. I feel like it's there, but… I just can't see it."

Keith looked down at her, eyes wide. Rhythmi blinked at the girl, equally surprised—and confused. "…Kate…" she murmured.

Kate blushed, stammering. "I-I'm sorry!" she said quickly. "I-I must sound ridiculous, right?! F-forget I said anyth—"

" _Alright_ then!"

"H-huh?"

Kate and Rhythmi looked up at the source of the sudden outburst to see Keith. He was standing now, grinning like a madman down at them.

"You don't know what to do, right? You said that you 'can't see it,'" he said. "So, what does that mean? It means you're not high enough."

"I certainly think  _someone's_ high," Rhythmi muttered.

"Can it, Blythe. Anyway!" Keith said, pointing down at Kate. "It's like a skyscraper, right? From the bottom, you can only see what's around you. But when you climb higher—and  _higher—_ you can see more and more of what's really there! And so, by  _that_ logic…"

He smirked, moving the finger pointing at her up towards the sky.

"…You reach the  _top!_ Then you can see everything— _including_ this weird life purpose you've got. You get me?"

Kate was frozen in place, staring up at him. "…I… I-I think I do," she said uncertainly.

Keith grinned, climbing quickly down from the Mechanic's belt to the ground. "Good!" he said. "So aim for the top—namely, being a Top Ranger!"

"W—" Kate squeaked. "W-WHAT?! I-impossible! D-definitely, p-positively impossible! I-I could never…!"

"You  _can,_ " Keith pressed, "if you just quit acting so damn modest."

A silence fell, Kate looking down at her shoes. Finally, though, Rhythmi cleared her throat.

"You know," she said nonchalantly. "There's a legend about this statue. It says something along the lines of… 'If you confess your dreams to your friends at this statue, and make a promise to fulfill them, you will definitely reach your goal.' Or something cheesy like that."

"Well  _there we go!_ " Keith said triumphantly. "Rhythmi's already told us her weird dream to save the world with communication, and Kate's told us about her weird dream-she-hasn't-quite-found-yet. So now all we gotta do is promise!"

"H-hey!" Kate said, huffing a bit. "T-that's not fair, Keith! Y-you haven't told us your dream!"

"Huh? Oh, I guess not," Keith said. Then, with a grin—"I want to protect people. Be a hero, y'know? I wanna look evil in the eye and then laugh in its face!" Rhythmi scoffed and rolled her eyes, but she was smiling slightly at the sincerity.

"So!" Keith continued. He held out a hand. "Let's promise, right here. To definitely fulfill our dreams no matter what!"

Kate stared at the hand, wondering to herself. Was it… really possible to become a Top Ranger? It seemed so otherworldly, further out of her grasp than the moon itself.

…But…

She gulped, putting her hand over Keith's. "…O-OK," she said. "I-I promise."

The two both looked at Rhythmi, who was looking on with her arms crossed.

"…Oh, al _right,_ " she sighed, putting her hand over theirs, "I  _promise._ Not that I need to, of course."

A beat, in which they all stood rather awkwardly with their hands gathered in the middle.

Then they started laughing.

"G-geez," Keith sniggered, pulling his hand back, "that was so corny."

"I-it was  _your_ idea!" Kate laughed.

"Shut up!" Keith said. Then he grinned more. "…Hey, Kate," he said, "wanna have a race?"

Rhythmi blinked. "What kind of race?" she said. "Like, at the training grounds? They're closed by now."

"Nope," Keith said. Then he pointed up the statue. "…First one to the top wins."

Kate squeaked a bit. "K-Keith!" she said quickly, "That's dangerous!"

Keith smirked. "What is it, Katie?" he purred, leaning in. "You're not…  _scared,_ are you?"

Kate gulped, shrinking meekly. Rhythmi just looked on in amusement.

"…A-alright," she finally said, nodding, "I-I'll do it. B-but I'm blaming you if I fall!"

Keith cackled. "You better pray to Arceus, because there's no one faster at climbing than me," he said. "Yo, Rhyth, you'll be the judge?"

"Roger that," Rhythmi said with a winning smile. "And lucky for you both, I knew this would happen… so I brought my binoculars to watch you when you get high up. I can't tell who will win from all the way down here."

Keith's eyes narrowed. "Blonde with binoculars," he said. "Creepy."

Rhythmi stuck out her tongue. "Both of you take your marks at the steps," she commanded.

Kate and Keith both walked to the staircase of the platform, taking their starting positions.

"…Ready," Rhythmi said slowly, "set… GO!"

They took off, the two students reaching the statue and starting their climb simultaneously. Keith scaled the statue with ease, seeming to make footholds out of thin air, while Kate barely managed to scramble her way up. That being said, the winner was clear—flipping and swinging and jumping his way up, Keith was at the top of the Ranger's head in no time. Kate managed to make her way all the way up the Ranger's neck, and was just about to climb up the ear to the head.

And that was when she looked down.

Immediately, her hands went cold, her body seeming to go numb as the feeling of being alone took over. Everything became a blur: the ground underneath, Rhythmi's form at the bottom of the platform, the sound of Keith's whoops of victory. She hated this feeling—the feeling of being scared to death that she would do something,  _anything_ wrong, and that no one would be there to save her.

No one.

"Wh— _Kate!_ Are you OK?!"

Suddenly, a hand grabbed hers. The grasp was firm, and it was like an anchor, suddenly pulling Kate out of the trance. But most of all—most of all, the touch was  _warm._ It was so unlike her own hands, which were cold and shaking from the fear.

Kate blinked rapidly as she met Keith's gaze. "Are you OK?!" he repeated urgently. "C'mon, I'll help you up! Just get your foot on a good hold!"

Kate stared for a moment as she finally came back to Earth. Then she nodded very slightly, hanging on to him.

Slowly, steadily, she made her way up the final steps, Keith pulling her up onto the Ranger's head.

"…S-sorry," Keith said, panting. "I-I shouldn't have made you—"

"N-no!" Kate cut him off. "I-it's… f… f-fine…"

Kate's voice slowly faded out as she noticed what was around her. Her eyes widened as she took in the sight.

"…Huh?" Keith blinked, following her gaze. "What is… it…" His eyes also widened at what he saw.

From the top of the statue, they could see everything. The ocean, waves slowly crashing with boats that looked as small as her pinky finger floating on the horizon, the forest, bird Pokémon calling and fluttering as they went to bed, the faintest outline of Vientown in the far distance—and the Ranger Academy, lights twinkling as the other students feasted on their dinner.

"…I can see everything from up here…" Kate murmured.

Keith laughed slightly, replying, "Yeah, and we'll be able to see a  _lot_ more once we've graduated. And then we'll be real Rangers, and then Top Rangers…" He grinned, looking at Kate. "And you know what? It'll be—"

He stopped short when he saw her.

Kate was wearing an expression she'd never had before. She was smiling—only this was different from the happy, nervous smile she got when she made a friend, or the sheepish one she gave when she'd received a compliment. No, this was different. Far different. She was smiling joyfully, her face filled with wonder, excitement, interest. Her pale blue eyes seemed ten times brighter, reflecting off everything: the lights from the Academy in the distance, the large, expansive ocean, the dazzling stars above them… it was as if those blue irises were trying to sear everything into the brunette's memory before it all left. Pale cheeks were flushed a lively pink, and her brown hair, while still tied up in the usual spiked twintails, was slightly messy, her bangs falling in front of her eyes, and the two loose pieces of hair she usually left neatly framing her face blowing slightly in the wind.

It was ten times better than the view of the landscape.

Keith's mouth dropped open slightly, his ears going red. His hands shook very slightly as he tried to regain control of the parts of his brain that had just seemed to shut down. Just then, thought, Kate looked at him—the shining, eager blue eyes trained directly on him.

"…What were you going to say, Keith?" she said, her voice still as impossibly soft as always. "You said, 'it'll be…' what?"

"…U-uh," Keith said, horrified that he couldn't find the ability to form words or access his memory. The redness in his ears spread—he felt the warmth spread to his cheeks. "I-I said it'll… u-uh, I mean, that's, I… I-I said, um…"

He gulped deeply, finally managing to speak and remember. "G-great! I-it'll… i-it'll be great."

Kate blinked, staring at him.

And then she smiled.

"…Y… yeah!" she said happily. "I-it will!"

Keith stammered, shocked at how they had somehow switched places. He wasn't supposed to stammer!  _Kate_ was the one who stammered! "I-I—w-well, yeah, t-that's—I-I, uh— _RHYTHMIIII!_ "

The redhead tore his gaze off Kate to look down at the blonde below. "Y-you wanna come up here?!" he yelled. "The view's awesome!"

Rhythmi gave a thumbs up from her position at the platform, looking up at them with her binoculars. "Nope!" she said, her voice positively  _ringing_ with glee. "I'm perfectly happy with the view I've got here!"

Keith scoffed. "What  _fucking_ view?!" he demanded. "You're just staring at us with bino…"

The redness in his cheeks spread to his neck as it hit him.

"WE'RE GETTING DOWN, KATE!" he bellowed, starting to jump down.

"A-ah, sure—w-wait!" she called, panicking a bit. "H-help me get down! I-I'm not a Mankey like you!"

But the calls went unheard to Keith as he sped down the statue as fast as possible, trying desperately to erase everything that had just happened from his memory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BOW CHIKA WOW WOW CHIKA WOW WOW
> 
> I love writing Kate/Keith romance aaaaa

**Author's Note:**

> I've always loved writing, and Shadows of Almia doesn't get nearly as much love as it should, so I hope you enjoy my fanfic! It'll probably have a lot more chapters, and I'm looking forward to writing them all. This story is part comedy, part romance, part friendship, part adventure and action, some nice toppings of angst later, etc. And much thanks to my kind editor, Brendan for fixing the mistakes here and in the chapters to come.


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